Taking the place of a former cupcake shop in downtown Worthington, Sassafras Bakery has quickly
become a destination for savory and sweet foods, tea and coffee.

The small, country-decorated space has a few tables and display cases. The emphasis is on making
just about everything from scratch.

Although the pastries hold undeniable temptation, the soups, savory scones and quiches shouldn’t
be overlooked.

The sweet-potato soup ($2.50 a cup, $5 a bowl) is lean but thick, scented with lemongrass and
topped by an ingenious preparation of scallions braised in a vinaigrette.

With its pure sweet-potato taste enhanced by the lemongrass and a topping of scallions, it’s a
great example of how a dish can be created that satisfies the senses without high levels of fat,
sugar or salt.

Like the soup, the scones ($3) change daily. The version with goat cheese and red pepper has a
great, flaky texture that’s light (for a scone), with pieces of pepper and cheese providing
flavor.

The pumpkin scone is also lightly textured. It is sprinkled with turbinado sugar without
becoming too sweet and has a laid-back pumpkin flavor.

The quiches ($4 a slice) have the tremendous advantage of a buttery, crisp crust.

The bacon-fontina quiche contains those ingredients within a light, savory custard that has
strands of melted cheese throughout.

It’s a throwback to the days when quiches were new on the food scene and tended to be made on
the premises because food-service companies didn’t have factory-made versions.

Another winning quiche is made with artichokes, Kalamata olives, goat cheese and Parmesan
cheese. It’s loaded with artichoke hearts which, along with the black olives, balance the richness
of the crust and the custard.

An excellent apple pie ($4.50) is stacked with lemony apple slices that retain some crispness.
They’re in a sauce formed by baking sugar and apples together. Interspersed are occasional chopped
walnuts. It’s topped by a crumble-style crust.

Like the cooking here generally, it has great balance.

The equally impressive Bourbon pumpkin pie ($4.50) is loaded with pumpkin that has caramel notes
and whiskey hints atop a short crust. It’s in another class altogether from pumpkin pies that use
canned-tasting puree.

Cookie-style goodies have included a Bourbon blondie ($3), with attractively salty chocolate and
white blondie notes, and a chai cookie ($2) that’s crumbly, appropriately rich and with intriguing
chai overtones.